Before the Epilogue
by forevermagik13
Summary: How do Sora, Kairi and Riku explain the addition of Roxas, Namine and Xion? What does Axel do now that everything has quieted down? Where will Terra, Aqua and Ven begin their adventure? Addition to All the Pieces Lie Where They Fell
1. Reunion with Riku

**Author's Note: **So, the story never stops for a writer. I finished my third book and am currently editing it for grammar and coherency in my spare time. But I still write.

For those of you who are JUST dropping in, I must tell you, this is... well, it's not the sequel... but it's an addition to the fanfiction I already have up: All the Pieces Lie Where They Fell.

I'm not exactly sure what made me think of it, but I was wondering how they would explain the addition of Namine, Roxas and Xion on the islands. Thus, these little scenes were born. All of this will have taken place BEFORE my epilogue. Between chapters 93 and 94, basically.

So, I would recommend reading that first, not that anything in here is really spoiler-heavy; but to get a more accurate view of my KHverse, I'd start there.

For those of you who are coming back: Hi! Missed me? By the way, my profile's been updated with a complete FAQ/Q&A of everything as it relates to AtP thus far. You should check it out if you haven't already.

This first scene is with Riku, because he was the one who started talking first, go figure. The rest will be posted as soon as I get them tidied up and betaed and whatnot. There are five scenes, but one of them is too long to just be one chapter, so expect like, 7 or 8 chapters in total. (ish) All of the scenes happen pretty simultaneously and will build off of one another.

_No copyright infringement is intended by this. Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney and anybody else who might have a share in that. _

* * *

><p>"I know you're a replica, but <em>please <em>tell me you understand the concept of two parents…"

xx

_-Destiny Islands-_

The sun was just setting as Riku quietly let himself into the front room of his house. It felt odd, he had nothing with him—though he had actually taken things the last time he had left. But his pack was on the Gummi Ship, which wasn't here.

"Riku?" came a voice from the kitchen. "Is that you?"

"Mother?" Riku asked, though he already knew it was her. "I'm home."

Xion stood quietly behind Riku, waiting for someone to mention her.

A short woman with blonde hair that had many silver streaks in it came out of the kitchen, holding a sopping wet dishtowel. She had sharp blue eyes, like her son. She threw the towel down and ran over to embrace her son. Xion noticed that she was a head shorter than Riku and that Riku hugged her very gently, as if afraid she would break.

"How was saving the worlds?" his mother asked.

Riku laughed. "It was fine, I guess. We met a lot of new people, speaking of which…"

Riku's mother cocked her head to one side as she took in the sight of Xion.

"Mother, this is Xion. I was wondering if she could sleep in the spare room we have? She doesn't have a home…"

Riku's mother's brow furrowed. "You two aren't, _together_, are you?"

Riku and Xion both laughed.

"Together? You have got to be kidding me… him and Namine are all…"

"Like I would ask you to host my girlfriend! Besides, her and Roxas…"

"Namine?" Riku's mother asked.

"I'll bring her by tomorrow," Riku said. "Promise."

"She here, on the islands?"

Riku nodded.

"I'll make dinner."

"No, Mother, you don't have to!"

"Of course I have to! Have you two eaten?"

"Not since Castle Oblivion," Xion said. "And it was a large meal, Aerith and Cid make _so much _food."

"If you've got something already fixed up, I could eat something," Riku said.

Riku's mother beamed. "You find yourselves a seat at the table and I'll bring it right out. Then while you two are eating, I'll get that room fixed up for Xion. Will you need clothes?"

"Kairi said she would get some stuff," Xion said. "I'll be fine."

Riku's mother nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

"How much does she know?" Xion asked Riku.

"Mother? Oh, I told her everything."

Xion raised an eyebrow, knowing what _everything _entailed.

"I had to tell her the gruesome stuff too. I wouldn't be able to come home and live with myself if I didn't."

They lapsed into silence, the only sound in the house being the clinking dishes in the kitchen as Riku's mother prepared the food.

"Are you going to ask about him?" Riku asked her, his voice tense.

"About who?" Xion asked, looking puzzled.

"My father."

Xion cocked her head to one side.

"Oh come on," Riku said. "I know you're a replica, but _please _tell me you understand the concept of two parents…"

Xion blinked. "Well, yes. Well enough, anyways. Why does it matter?"

"Because, usually, by now people start asking where he is, now that they've met my mother."

"People like who?"

"You'll meet them," Riku said. "Tidus, and Wakka, and Selphie."

"Well, since you've piqued my curiosity, where is he?"

"Gone," Riku's mother replied, coming out of the kitchen. She placed a plate of pot roast in front of each of them, alongside some mashed potatoes and steamed carrots.

Riku sighed, knowing she had not just had this sitting around.

"Gone as in, how?" Xion asked, picking up a fork and a knife.

"Just got up and left one day," she replied, bitterness in her voice. "Left Riku with no fatherly figure in his life except Sora's dad, who did an excellent job. But still…"

She shook her head and sighed. "Anyway, what happened to your parents, sweetie?"

Xion wasn't able to answer right away because her mouth was full. She wasn't sure how she was going to answer. She didn't have parents… not really.

"She's a replica, Mother," Riku said, his voice calm.

Xion swallowed, unsure how Riku's mother would react to that.

Riku's mother raised an eyebrow, nothing more.

"That won't be a problem, will it?" Riku asked.

"Not at all," she replied. "Riku, honey, you could bring home fifty people of any race or type and I wouldn't care, so long as you came in and said hello every now and then."

Relief washed over Xion. She wondered if it was obvious.

"Well, I'm actually going to be home more now," Riku said.

"Oh, really?" Riku's mother inquired.

"Well, I hope I can be," he said, thinking. "I was thinking that maybe if we all stayed here and left on smaller trips to fight the darkness, maybe it could work. I still have to run it by Sora though."

"Would you be around enough to go to school?" Riku's mother inquired.

Riku snorted. "You're kidding, right?"

She shrugged. "I've got to ask."

"School?" Xion asked.

"I'll explain tomorrow. Just like I'll tell you all about what happened, Mother."

Riku's mother beamed. "And you'll bring Namine by?"

Riku flushed. "Yes."

She smiled.

xx

Later that evening, after everyone had retired to their rooms, Riku lay on his bed, thinking. He needed to be sure of something…

He got up and walked down the hall to his mother's room. He knocked before entering.

"Come in," she called.

He let himself in quietly.

"What is it, Riku?" she asked.

"It's okay, that Xion stays here, isn't it?" he asked. "You didn't just agree because she was sitting right there, did you?

She nodded. "Of course! I don't mind at all. I'm just glad that you're home and fighting on the side of light."

Riku smiled.

"I'll treat her like I would my own daughter," she said. "I must ask, though. Why were you the one to bring her home, couldn't Kairi…"

"Namine's staying with Kairi," Riku replied. "And I'll explain that all tomorrow. It's a long story."

"Okay, then. Good night, Riku."

She stood up on her toes and kissed his forehead. He had to lean down a little to let her, but he didn't mind.

"I love you," she said.

"Love you too, Mother," he replied, letting himself out of the room.


	2. Where the Heart Goes

**Author's Note: **Hello again! I never actually thought about writing Riku bringing Namine home and her meeting his mother. Like, seriously, it never crossed my mind. Though, I suppose if there's enough demand for it, I'll sit down and try and figure out how that scene works. And I would imagine that that's the scene that everyone's interested in, since EVERYONE knew that Sora and Kairi were going to get together... eventually.

Oh, and yes, Riku's mother is amazing. On that note...

* * *

><p><em>And can we not mention the part where we were thrown off a cliff?<em>

xx

Kairi reached into her pocket and frowned.

"I appear to have lost my house key," she said with a frown.

"Kairi," Namine said, raising an eyebrow. "You have a Keyblade, do you not?"

Kairi flushed. "Well, yes, but it's a bit egregious in this situation, don't you think?"

On impulse, Namine reached over to the door knob and turned. It was unlocked.

"Or that could happen…" Kairi muttered.

Kairi's parents were both sitting in front room. Her mother was sitting on the couch, reading a book. She had short dark hair and bright blue eyes. Her father was in an armchair, looking over some papers. He had large glasses that framed his pale green eyes, as well as receding auburn hair. Both of them looked up upon hearing the girls enter.

"Kairi!" her mother shouted. "You're home!"

She ran up and embraced Kairi, then, without even blanching, she embraced Namine as well. Namine was slightly surprised by this.

"Who is this?" Kairi's father asked.

"Mom, Dad, this is Namine," Kairi began, taking a deep breath. "She's my sister."

Kairi's mom looked from Kairi to Namine.

"I can see the resemblance," Kairi's mother said. "It's in the eyes."

"Is it okay if she stays with us?" Kairi asked sheepishly.

"Of course!" Kairi's mother exclaimed, hugging them both. "What do you think, dear?"

Kairi's father, who had stood up, but was waiting for his excited wife to be finished hugging the two girls, shrugged.

"I see nothing wrong with it," he said.

Namine looked relieved.

Kairi's father hugged her, then extended an arm out to Namine as well.

"Come, come, sit down," Kairi's mom said, beckoning them to the couches. "Tell us all about your adventures! Are you hungry?"

"No, Mom," Kairi said. "Aerith and Cid fed us before we left."

"Oh, how nice of them," she said. "That Aerith is such a sweetheart."

_I was expecting more of a fuss… _Namine thought. _About me staying…_

_ Me too, _Kairi admitted. _But my parents are just awesome like that._

Namine looked over at Kairi, only mildly shocked that they could still share thoughts. In the rush of everything that had gone on since their separation, neither of them had noticed.

The four of them sat down. Kairi took off her bag and set it down by her feet. Namine adjusted her sketchbook in her lap. She wanted to start drawing, but she figured it might be a little rude at the moment, plus, the majority of her pencils happened to be in Kairi's bag at the moment.

"So, what do you want to know?" Kairi asked.

"Did Sora and Riku pass the Mark exam?" Kairi's father asked.

Simultaneously, her mother asked: "How did you come to find Namine?"

Kairi laughed. "Yes, Dad, both of them passed."

"Kairi and I first met at The World that Never Was," Namine said. "I helped her out of a tight spot with Saix."

_Smooth, _Kairi said.

_Well, you never told them that part…_

_ True._

"How did you find out?" Kairi's mother asked. "That you two were sisters?"

"We just knew," Kairi said definitively.

"Do you know what happened to…" Kairi's father began. He cleared his throat. "Kai—your birth parents?"

"I can't tell you any more than Kairi can," Namine said, looking down.

"What have you been doing all these years?" Kairi's mother asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, staying out of trouble," Namine replied with a shrug. "I helped in the restoration of Sora's memories alongside Riku…"

Kairi snorted. _Restored Sora's memories yourself is more like it…_

"Oh, so you know Riku," Kairi's mother said.

"Know him?" Kairi said. "The two of them are practically dating!"

Namine blushed as red as Kairi's hair.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Kairi's mother said. "That will mean that Riku isn't pining after you."

"Mom! Riku never…"

"So, you and Sora," Kairi's father said, tweaking the subject before it got awkward.

Kairi turned redder than her hair.

"Oh, you should see them fight alongside each other," Namine said. "It's quite impressive. Oh, and they kissed."

_Hey!_

_ That's getting you back for telling them about me and Riku. Ha!_

If it wasn't for the fact that Kairi's parents were clueless to that little exchange, Kairi would have stuck her tongue out at her 'sister.'

Both of Kairi's parents were beaming. However, then Kairi's father asked:

"You fought alongside each other?"

Kairi nodded, wondering when this subject was going to come up. She put her hand out in front of her and summoned her Keyblade. Both of her parents' eyes widened.

"But I thought you only wielded that one that Riku handed you…" Kairi's mother whispered.

"Yes," Kairi said. "But I have my own now. This is mine. I'm a Keyblade wielder now."

"The worlds must be in more trouble than any of us had originally thought," Kairi's father mused. "A Princess wielding the Keyblade."

"That's actually because a Keyblade Master passed the Power onto me unintentionally, before I even came here," Kairi explained. (Aqua had explained this to her earlier.)

"Xehanort's gone, that should help matters," Namine said. "Though, darkness can be found just about anywhere…"

"This means you'll be going with them, won't it?" Kairi's father asked.

Kairi nodded.

He sighed, crestfallen. "I was hoping I would be able to have my little girl home."

Kairi banished her Keyblade. She got up and went over to hug her father.

"I am home now, Daddy. And we'll all be home for a little while. I promise that I will always come back here."

He held her close to him. He didn't have any words.

Kairi's mother smiled at the two of them, then she turned to Namine.

"Can you wield it too?"

Namine shook her head. "I don't fight with a Keyblade."

"But you still fight, then? With what weapon?"

"Lots of people fight without weapons, Mom," Kairi said, returning to her seat on the couch. "Like Tifa."

"Who's Tifa?" Kairi's father asked.

"She's one of Aerith's friends."

"Everyone is one of Aerith's friends," Kairi's mother said with a laugh.

xx

They talked for a little while longer before it was decided that everyone should go to bed.

"Oh!" Kairi's mother exclaimed. "We don't have a bed for you, Namine! We have a spare room, but no bed, or a dresser or…"

"Relax, Mom," Kairi said. "Namine can have my bed tonight. I'll take the couch."

"Kairi, I couldn't…" Namine said, looking over at her.

"Take the bed, Namine. Riku would kill me if he found out that I let you sleep on a couch."

"And Sora wouldn't…"

"I'm more afraid of Riku than you are of Sora," Kairi said.

"I don't know, did you see him after Xehanort…"

"Just take the bed," Kairi said.

_And can we not mention the part where we were thrown off a cliff?_

_ Well, it was_ _rather romantic of Sora to jump after you…_

_ True._

"It'll just be for tonight," Kairi's mother said. "Your father and I will go out and get another bed tomorrow."

"Are you sure you want me to take your bed?" Namine asked.

Kairi nodded.

"Are there any clothes that you need washed?" Kairi's mother asked.

Kairi reached down and grabbed her bag. She pulled out a handful of pencils and handed them to Namine. Then she pulled out the cloaks and laid them across her lap. She handed the rest of the bag to her mother.

"Where'd you get those?" Kairi's father asked.

"World that Never Was," Kairi replied. "They helped us travel worlds…"

"Undetected," he finished.

"Yeah."

"And what about you, dear?" Kairi's mom asked, looking at Namine. "Do you have any things that need to be washed?"

"There in there," Namine said, gesturing to the bag.

"Okay, I'll wash these up tomorrow. Kairi, why don't you show Namine to your room?"

"Yeah, of course," Kairi said, standing up.

"Even though I already know where it is," Namine muttered.

Both of them laughed.

"They've barely known each other and they act almost as if they've grown up together," Kairi's mother mused to her husband.

"Well, they did take down Xehanort together, that's growing up enough, don't you think?"


	3. Friends on the Islands

**Author's Note: **No, Kairi has not told her parents everything, for whatever reason. Or, perhaps it is because Riku just feels that he needs to tell his mother everything. I haven't really looked too far into that. I was just going with what they were giving me. Yes, Sora does have a temper when he needs to.

Which, reminds me, I have a site up for all of this, it's h t t p s : / / m a g i k s a t p v e r s e . p o s t e r o u s . c o m /. There, hopefully I've gotten through fanfic's filter. Obviously, take out the spaces. I've got some charrie specs for you that'll be new information. *dances excitedly*

Anyway, moving on to Sora and Roxas' chapter. Roxas makes me laugh.

* * *

><p>"Just because you've been in my heart doesn't mean that I haven't been in yours as well."<p>

xx

"Hmm, I guess no one's awake," Sora said as he and Roxas quietly let themselves in. "Oh well, I won't wake them."

Almost instinctively, Sora walked to the kitchen. Roxas followed after.

"Are you hungry?" Sora asked, opening the fridge.

"Dude, how could you be hungry after all that food Aerith and Cid gave us?"

Sora shrugged. "I'm just hoping there's pork in here. Mom's pork is amazing! You remember it, don't you?"

"Uh, no."

"Oh yeah, you didn't start really waking up until Xion started being mentioned," Sora said, rummaging through the fridge.

"I helped you with your Mark of Mastery Exam," Roxas argued.

"Yeah, after Riku said something that made you think of Xion, or a time that revolved around her at least. Yes! Pork!"

"How did you know that…" Roxas began, ignoring Sora's food-related exclamation.

"Just because you've been in my heart doesn't mean that I haven't been in yours as well," Sora said, struggling to open the container of pork.

"Dude, that didn't even make sense."

Sora stuck his tongue out, but more out of frustration at the container than at Roxas' claim. That stubborn lid was the only thing keeping him from his mother's cooking. And, well, temperature. But he could eat it cold, he'd eaten stranger things.

"Sora, is that you?" came the voice of Sora's father as he came down the hallway.

"Hey, Dad," Sora said, finally getting the container open. "I didn't want to wake you."

"You could get us up at any hour after you come home for all we care, and it isn't even all that late."

Sora shrugged.

"Who's this?" Sora's dad asked, nodding to Roxas.

"This is my friend, Roxas," Sora said. "Do you think he could stay with us?"

Sora's dad's eyebrows furrowed. "What happened to your home?" he asked Roxas.

At the word "home," Roxas immediately thought of Twilight Town. He was saddened by the fact that he really didn't have a house there—like he did in the simulated one.

"Bleak place," Sora replied, thinking instead of The World That Never Was. "Wouldn't want to live there myself if there was another option."

"I promise I won't be any trouble," Roxas said, hurriedly. "I'll clean up after myself; I'll…uh…take care of any Heartless problems you have…"

There was a sparkle of energy around his hand as he thought about summoning his Keyblade.

"Dude, we don't have Heartless here," Sora said, looking down at the now-open container of pork that he had yet to do anything else with. "The last time I saw Heartless here was right before this world fell into darkness. And that probably won't happen again."

He frowned, but whether it was at the thought of Destiny Islands falling into darkness (and why it fell into darkness) or the pork, Roxas and Sora's father were unsure.

Sora turned and put the entire container in the microwave to heat it up.

"Don't let your mother see you do that," Sora's father cautioned.

Sora made a face. "So can Roxas stay?'

"I don't particularly see a problem with it. I think we still have a cot up in the attic from when Riku would stay over. I'll go get that—and your mother while I'm at it."

"Sounds good, Dad, thanks!"

"Yes, thank you," Roxas added.

Sora's father nodded. "It's good to have you home, son."

"It's good to be home."

Sora's dad headed off down the hallway just as the microwave beeped.

Sora cheered slightly and grabbed a fork.

"Want some?" he asked, offering the container out to Roxas.

"No thanks."

"Suit yourself," Sora said, digging in.

xx

When Sora's mother came running down the hall to greet her son, Sora was in the middle of gnawing on a piece of pork and Roxas was too busy laughing at him to even offer to get a knife for him.

"You're home!" Sora's mother exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him, knocking the pork out of his hands. Roxas caught it and hesitantly took a bite.

"Hi, Mom," Sora said, grinning.

"You've grown!" she said. She reached up and patted down his hair. "No, it's not just the hair, you've grown!"

"Really?" Sora asked, running a hand through his hair. "Riku's still taller than me though."

"Riku will _always _be taller than you, dear," she chided. "I see you've found my pork!"

"Uh-huh!" Sora nodded. "Hey! I was eating that!"

"You _did _offer it to me," Roxas replied with a shrug.

"So," Sora's mother said, turning to look at Roxas. "Tell me about yourself. How'd you come to be here?"

"Well," Roxas said, handing the pork back to Sora. "I'm best friends with a fugitive of the Organization we just took down—again. My girlfriend's a replica. I took a Keyblade to my former boss to rid the universe of him forever. I have come to the conclusion that I want to go retrieve my sea-shell collection from The World That Never Was. And me and Sora are kind of like two sides of the same coin. My goodness, my life is a soap opera!"

Roxas feigned shock and heartbrokenness as Sora and his mother gaped at the blonde. Without even turning to her son, Sora's mother reached over and closed Sora's open mouth.

Roxas laughed. "You should _see _your guys' faces! No wonder Axel had such a good time saying stuff like that to me and Xion."

"Explain this to me, please," Sora's mother said. "How do you know my son?"

"Well, the reason why I even exist in the first place is because Sora thought it would be a great idea to stab himself in the heart with a Keyblade to save Kairi," Roxas replied, shrugging.

"You never mentioned that bit," Sora's mother said, narrowing her eyes at Sora.

Sora laughed nervously. "It wasn't too drastic! I was maybe a Heartless for ten minutes, I'm fine now!"

She kneaded her forehead with her knuckles.

"So, what does that make you?" she asked, looking at Roxas.

"Well, I _was _a Nobody. And then I wasn't, and now I'm sort of a Replica, I guess. Sheesh, my life _is _kind of a soap opera. It gets even more special when you include Namine!"

Sora laughed.

"I'm still not getting all of it," Sora's mother said, frowning. "You can explain it to me tomorrow."

"That sounds like a great idea," Sora said. "Then I can have you meet Namine and Xion too! And Axel, if he hung around."

"I distinctly remember me and Xion telling him not to burn down the inn."

Sora's father joined them again.

"I finished setting up the bed in Sora's room," he said.

"Cool!"

"Thanks!"

"So, tell me the most exciting thing that happened," he said. "You can fill us in on the rest later."

"Well, Riku and I both passed our Mark of Mastery exam," Sora said.

"I don't think that's the most exciting," Roxas said, leaning back against the counter.

"We defeated Xehanort," Sora said.

Roxas shook his head.

Sora bit his lip, thinking. "We…"

"Still not it."

Sora frowned, wondering how Roxas even knew what he was going to say.

"Well, Roxas, what do _you _think is the most exciting thing we did?"

Roxas laughed. "Well, for you, it would be that you and Kairi finally got together."

Sora flushed and grinned simultaneously.

"Finally," Sora's father coughed.

"I'm so happy for you!" his mother said.

"What about you, then?" Sora asked.

"I got Xion back," Roxas said with a grin.

"I hate to break up the moment," Sora's dad said. "But would you kindly tell me what you did to your hand?"

Sora looked down at his bandaged hand and grinned sheepishly.


	4. The 13th Struggle

**Author's Note: **Ah, the wonderful scene with Axel that actually gave me problems. As I put it to rarmaster: Axel is much better at commenting on other people's stories than telling his own. However, this is what I have. I hope you enjoy!

Oh! Before I forget, who actually WANTS to read a scene where Riku brings Namine home for dinner? Show of hands please? (AKA, leave a review telling me one way or another.)

Also, nonsence, Kairi was just referring to the fact that Namine was the one who physically (however you want to call it) rechained the memories to be what they were supposed to be because of her power over his memories.

* * *

><p>"War leaves a bitter taste in your mouth."<p>

xx

"How long will you be staying, dearie?" asked the lady behind the desk at the inn.

Axel scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, I don't know. I know I need it for tonight. Does it matter?"

"Well, we have options for those who want to stay longer. They're usually all booked when we've got bad weather and the fishermen need them, but the weather's fair and I can get you one of those rooms very easily."

"Just a room with a bed is fine," Axel insisted.

"5000 munny then."

"Per night?"

She nodded.

Axel sighed and shelled out the money.

She reached under the desk and pulled out a key.

"If you go up the stairs, it'll be on your right. The room number's printed on the key. If you do end up staying long-term, we can discuss payment options."

Axel nodded and took the key.

As he was heading for the stairs, she called after him:

"Oh, what's your name, dearie?"

"Axel," he replied.

"Axel, what a nice name," she said, smiling.

He smiled. "Thanks."

"Have a good stay at Destiny Islands Inn," she said.

He nodded and headed up the stairs.

The room was simply furnished. It had a bed with a nightstand, a chair by a fireplace and a dresser. Off to one side was a small bathroom with all the necessities.

He flopped down on the bed, Saix's last words burned into his mind.

_"Remember me as I was…"_

"Oh, Isa," he said. "What did we get ourselves into?"

No one answered him.

"Where would we be if we had given up after that first attempt to join Ansem?"

Again, there was no answer. However, he laughed.

"We'd probably be shopkeepers in town, wouldn't we?"

He sighed and sat up. He went over to the window and looked out.

"Same sky," he mused. "Different stars though."

"War leaves a bitter taste in your mouth."

For indeed, this last 'war' had left him with quite bittersweet results. He had regained the friends of Roxas and Xion. Oh, and Ven. Plus, he'd probably made some new friends out of all the people that he'd ran into earlier.

However, Saix wasn't coming back this time. There was no hope of saving him.

"I don't know how the Keyblade wielder does it," he muttered, going back to the bed.

If he had still been a Nobody, all he would have would be an empty feeling. But he wasn't a Nobody anymore. And his heart was overloaded with all the emotions he was experiencing.

"There are days, when I really hate having feelings."

But then he thought about watching Xion's face light up as she took in the sight of the beach. How she'd stripped off her boots and ran out into the ocean, not caring if her pants got wet. How Roxas had gone in right after her. How Sora and Kairi had just walked over to the dock to enjoy a moment alone. How Namine had hesitantly made her way to the lapping waves and how Riku had helped her ease into the water.

How he himself had suddenly gotten caught up in a splashing contest with Roxas and Xion and it was like they had never had a strain on their friendship whatsoever.

How they'd had to spend a good part of the evening lying on the beach, trying to get their clothes to dry off before going over to the main island.

Perhaps feelings weren't such a bad thing after all. It certainly was better than pretending to feel joy and feel a need to laugh and desire to have more fun.

For the heck of it, he pointed a finger at the fireplace and lit a fire. It made the place feel more homey.

"I'm gonna have to find out where I'm staying long-term, aren't I?" he mused.

The King hadn't given any indication as to what their next adventure might be. He had just said rest up before the next one. Chance were, it wasn't going to involve travelling the worlds via Gummi Ship.

Axel supposed he could go back to Twilight Town. He probably still had a bed there. The place was peaceful and kind of like a home to him. But then he'd feel obligated to work for Olette's parents again. And he wouldn't be able to explain it very easily if he'd have to leave. Twilight Town was too quiet for him to stay permanently.

He still had a bed in The World That Never Was. But then he'd have to deal with lesser Nobodies that may or may not be tolerant of him. Not to mention all the Heartless outside the Castle…

Castle Oblivion? Nah.

He could go make a home for himself in Radiant Garden. He could help with the restoration and there would be no end to things that he'd be able to do. Definitely doable. But, did he want to go there?

He could get a house here and be close to his best friends. It would be like living in a permanent vacation spot.

But then, where would he vacation to?

Decisions, decisions. Perhaps he would just always be on the move…

Could get expensive, but if he killed enough Heartless, he could keep a good munny stock.

He rolled over, deciding that it wasn't worth worrying about it now. He'd see what the others were doing then figure it out. He'd spent so many years of his life just being told what to do and when to do it, that trying to figure out where he was going to lead his own life took just too much work.

So he fell asleep.


	5. The Afternoon Streets

**Author's Note: **Hey! So we're on the second-to-last scene of stuff that happens before the epilogue in All the Pieces. However, 'Scene 5' AKA the Hollow Bastion scene is too long for one chapter, so it gets two. The scene after this will be the Riku and Namine and Riku's mother scene, which I will write. I just... need time lol. Midterms. They are... meh.

Also! Axel hasn't quite met Kuin yet. This is a day or two before that. SO! After running into her, he has a better idea of what he's going to be doing. Just saying. At least, that's what he's telling me right now. I haven't explored it all that much yet in the sequel. It'll happen.

And, now, for the scene that started as Aqua, Terra and Ven crashing in Hollow Bastion for the night which turned very quickly into... this.

(Just for the record, I am using the name Squall for Leon semi-interchangeably in this scene. It comes from my FFVIII playing. That, and I think Rinoa and Quistis would call him Squall anyway, regardless. And he'd let them, because of who they are to him.)

And, enough of my rambling... read and enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Stop staring at me like I've grown a second head!"<p>

xx

"Aerith," Tifa called when they entered the house. "Do you think there would be enough room for Aqua, Terra and Ven to stay for the night?"

Aerith frowned, thinking. "Well, Quistis and Zell are staying in the bunk beds in the guest room and I had figured Rinoa would take the cot in that room. I hadn't quite placed Cloud yet…"

If Cloud was offended by this, he didn't say anything.

"If it's too much of a problem," Aqua began. "We can find someplace else."

"No, no," Aerith said, shushing her. "I'll figure it out. Merlin!"

Merlin appeared in the center of the room.

"Yes? What is it?" he asked.

"Do you have a place for a few people to sleep at your place?"

"Not particularly, madam…"

Aerith frowned.

"But perhaps I could take a couple of people and conjure up some cots in the room upstairs," he added hastily.

Aerith smiled.

"Can' yeh just 'conjure up' anothe' room?" Cid asked.

"I can only conjure something that already exists, for your information," Merlin barked, straightening his glasses.

"But you can take a couple of people?" Aerith asked. "We appear to have an overflow."

"I can take two."

"Ven and I will come," Terra offered.

"But I'm not tired!" Ven complained.

"That's what you get for sleeping for so many years," Terra teased.

Ven frowned.

Aerith was still thinking about the three people that were lacking beds.

"Rinoa can sleep in my bed," Leon offered, speaking up for the first time. "I'll take the floor somewhere."

"You don't have to!" Rinoa protested.

He shrugged.

"There's enough couches," Cloud said. "He and I can sleep down here."

"Good, because I wasn' about teh offer up my bed," Cid said.

"Then that just leaves Tifa," Aerith mused, ignoring Cid.

"I can sleep on the floor," Tifa said. "It's no different than what I've been doing for the past several months."

"No, no," Aerith protested. "You can have my bed."

"Aerith, I couldn't…"

"I insist…"

"No, I'll be fine…"

"Tifa, it really isn't going to be a problem…"

"I'm serious…"

"Oh my gosh everyone, just stop arguing! One of you take my bed!" Yuffie shouted. "I'll hang from the rafters or something. _Anything _to get you to stop trying to out-courteous each other."

Everyone looked at Yuffie in shock.

"You just offered up your bed," Cloud mused.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm sick of the arguing. Bo—Tifa can have it."

After a couple of seconds, she added:

"Stop staring at me like I've grown a second head!"

"If I had known it was going to be a problem…" Quistis began.

"Hush," Aerith said. "There is room for everyone. Who wants pie?"

Even though no one was hungry, Cloud, Leon, Cid and Tifa immediately raised their hands. Aqua, Terra and Ven raised their hands as well.

"I'd like some pie," Yuffie said.

"Pie sounds nice," Rinoa added.

"Got any hotdogs?" Zell asked.

Quistis elbowed him in the gut for that.

Aerith went into the kitchen to grab pie. Merlin set to making sure there were enough chairs around the table.

"So where am I sleeping?" Aqua asked. "I missed that part."

"The third bed in the guest room," Quistis said. "I'm Quistis, and you are?"

"I'm Aqua, and these are my friends Ven and Terra."

Terra and Ven waved.

"The blonde over there is Zell," Quistis said. "And that's Rinoa over there."

Zell appeared to be too busy swatting flies to notice, but Rinoa waved.

If Aqua found the wings odd, she did not mention.

xx

Cloud and Leon both ended up sitting on overturned crates. Rinoa and Quistis were sharing a small bench. Merlin sat in a floating armchair and Aerith never once actually sat down, even though Cid must have offered her his chair seven times.

"So, why do you have wings?" Ven asked Rinoa.

Rinoa's wings fluttered at their mention and managed to almost knock over Zell, who was sitting on the other side of Quistis.

"It's always, me, isn't it?" he asked through a mouthful of pie.

"She's magic," Leon said with a grin.

"Nu-uh!" Ven said, not believing it.

"Well, it's true," Rinoa said. "I'm a Sorceress. And where I come from, that job entails wings."

"No way!" Ven said. "Can you fly?"

Rinoa nodded.

"Wicked!"

"I'm very good with magic," Aqua said. "What does a Sorceress mean?"

"You should see her Berserk-cast," Zell said. "It's wicked scary."

"You should see Squall and her fight alongside each other," Quistis said. "It's unbelievable."

"Remember that one time with the Ultima weapon?" Rinoa asked, looking at Squall.

Squall laughed. He remembered it all right.

"Wait, so Leon fights?" Cloud teased.

Rinoa frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. Leon just punched him.

Tifa smiled. A teasing Cloud was much better than a moody one. Even Leon seemed to be in a better mood with the addition of Rinoa.

"You'll have to show me sometime," Aqua said with a small laugh.

"Well, if there are still Heartless around, it'll happen," Leon said.

"Wouldn't destroying Xehanort…" Yuffie began.

"You're kiddin' right?" Cid said. "The Heartless'll never stop. And if it's nah Heartless, it'll be somethin' else."

"One day," Leon said wistfully. "This'll be restored."

"It will go quickly if we all help," Aerith said.

"That's what we're here for," Rinoa said.

"Really?" Leon asked. "Because I was going to find…"

She smiled. "One step ahead of you!"

"We might be able to stay and help…" Aqua began.

"Nonsense," Aerith said. "You have your own journeys ahead of you."

"But," Leon said. "If we ever need you, we'll let you know."

"Restoration continues tomorrow!" Cid announced. "And we'll get a heckova lot more dun without Xehanort interferin'."

"Don't feel guilty," Aerith told Terra, before he even really had a chance to process what Cid had meant. He figured it out though and frowned. Aerith gave him a look and he made his mouth make some other shape than a frown.

"So what all is the restoration entailing right now?" Tifa asked, looking over at Cid.

"Clearin' out monsters, buildin' back the broken stuff, makin' the place nice and shiny," Cid replied.

"Do you have scheduled times, or is it just whenever?" Rinoa asked.

"Usually, it's dependent on the Heartless," Leon replied.

"Guys," Cloud said, his voice soft.

"Yes, Cloud?" Aerith asked.

"About the Heartless…"

He nodded towards the window.

"You have got teh be kiddin' me!" Cid shouted. "We just cleared up at Castle Oblivion and _now _look what we've gotta deal with!"

"How many are there?" Aerith asked.

"A lot," Yuffie said, having been the one to jump up and look out the window.

"I'll get my cannon," Cid grumbled. "Cloud, Leon, help me."

Both men got up to help Cid.

"We never made it to the Keyblade Graveyard," Terra said quietly.

"You didn' get yer weapon?" Cid asked. "Fine, you help me. Leon, go help yer girlfrien'."

Leon didn't need to be told twice.

xx

Yuffie was the first out the door, followed closely by Ven. Tifa followed her, sliding her gloves on as she did so. Rinoa followed after, her blaster edge clicking into place. Quistis and Zell were next, Quistis pulling out her whip and Zell taking a couple of practice punches. Aerith went next, Leon following after her, trying to catch up to Rinoa.

Aqua hung back, looking at Merlin.

"Do you fight?" she asked.

"No, no, my dear. Cid says it's best if I don't. Besides, those blasted Heartless don't respond well to my type of magic."

"Your type of magic?" Aqua asked.

"I don't fight with magic, I use it to aid my circumstance, nothing more."

"All right then," Aqua said, ducking out as well.

"Remember to stick in groups," Leon said.

"We know," Yuffie groaned.

"Neoshadows?" Aerith said. "We haven't seen those around here in a while…"

"It's not just Neoshadows," Yuffie called back.

It was a swarm of Neoshadows, Soldiers, Guardians and there were a few Phantomtails; with more Heartless appearing.

"Where did all of them come from?" Tifa asked.

"Darkness expelling itself," Cloud called, carrying Cid's cannon pretty much all by himself. Cid was frowning at him.

"Everyone git clear!" Cid shouted.

"Split up!" Tifa said.

So they did.

"Terra!" Aqua shouted before running off with Aerith and Rinoa.

She summoned a second Keyblade, Master Eraqus' Keyblade, and tossed it to him. He caught it—it felt very light in his hand.

He was about to go join up with one of the groups when Cid stopped him.

"I may be able to clear out haf-a-dozen Heartless at once, but I need someone to cover my back!"

"I'll stay too," Cloud said.

Terra shrugged and slashed down a Neoshadow.

"Charging!" Cid shouted.

xx

Yuffie, having been the first to charge out of the house, had gotten the farthest into the Heartless. Ven was right behind her. Quistis slid through the Heartless to catch up with them. She had an instinct to look after the younger ones.

Yuffie and Ven had been doing pretty good on their own, until they came across a patch of Emerald Blues.

"No fair!" Yuffie shouted, going to pick up her fallen shuriken. "Those ones use Aero."

Quistis set a Scan onto the Heartless.

Yuffie stomped over to her fallen weapon and retrieved it, chucking it again. The Emerald Blue was just annoying enough to send a gust of Aero at it and make it clatter to the ground, again.

"Stupid thing!" she growled.

"Use Fire," Quistis said. "It will work the best."

"Got it!" Ven said. He charged up a Fire Surge and killed a couple of the Emerald Blues simultaneously.

"I don't have any Fire Materia on me!" Yuffie growled.

Quistis laughed to herself.

"But, I do have Ifrit!" she exclaimed.

"That would work," Quistis said. She snapped her whip at some nearby Poison Plants that had emerged. One snap of her whip stunned each Poison Plant she hit. Ven chucked his Keyblade to kill them. Then Ifrit showed up and they all moved out of the way.

"I must say though," Quistis said. "Summoning Ifrit _might _have been overkill."

Yuffie frowned her, but held her tongue. Mostly because she had yet to come up with a good nickname for Quistis.

xx

Leon was slightly anxious. He was over _here_ with Cid and Rinoa was over _there _with Aerith and Aqua. Granted, it wasn't like he thought she'd hurt herself, and he trusted her over there with Aerith _way _more than he'd trust her with Yuffie or Cid.

And it was Cid's fault anyway that he wasn't over _there _anyway. He sighed and began working his way over. He ended up having to stop by Tifa and Zell though.

"Yuffie's wasted no time in summoning, has she?" Tifa mused, looking over at Ifrit as he was killing Heartless.

"I have Carbuncle junctioned," Zell muttered. "He's not going to do me _any _good."

Leon laughed. "Sounds like that's your problem."

Zell sighed and punched a Soldier. It tottered around a bit until Zell punched it in the face. Then it died.

"Hey, Leon, do you think you could give me a bit of a boost?" Tifa asked, eyeing an Air Pirate that was looming over them, waiting to attack.

Leon put his gunblade to the ground, indicating for Tifa to step onto it. She did so and he lifted the blade up, giving her the boost.

She flew up into the air and round-housed the Air Pirate. It fell to the ground and disappeared into a puff of darkness. She landed lightly on her feet.

"I wish I could do that," Zell complained. "But I'd just fall flat on my face."

"It's all in the knees when you land," Tifa told him.

"We've got quite the variety of Heartless," Leon mused, taking out some Neoshadows.

"Cloud did say it was darkness dispelling itself," Tifa replied.

"That's a lot of darkness," Zell said.

"Xehanort's gone," Leon said. "All these Heartless were probably hanging around him. Then, when Sora and his friends took him down…"

"Then this should be temporary," Tifa said, punching a Guardian.

Leon merely grunted in response, casting Aero on the nearest Phantomtail. It warped away and Leon growled.

"Yuffie needs to take care of those," he muttered.


	6. The Magic Words

**Author's Note: **Hey! Hey! You! Yeah, you! You should go check out my blog! I'm going to go put a link up to it on my profile, like, as soon as I'm done posting this. I've got loads of fun stuff on there for you to read! Also, for those of you interested in reading a scene that DID NOT appear in All the Pieces, then I suggest you go check out "All the Pieces Drafts" and go to the most recent chapter that I just put up. It's a scene that didn't make it into the final draft. Erm, I think that was all the little updates I wanted to give you.

Here's the second half of the Hollow Bastion battle, I am SO enjoying the charrie development I got out of Cloud and Terra both. Twas pretty awesome. Oh, and that thing that Cloud mentions in regards to nearly killing Aerith? I'm guessing it has something to do with when he went insane and did nearly do so-NOT the time where Sephiroth killed her right after. I may explore this later. Moving on. Enjoy the scene!

* * *

><p>"Oh, this is gonna be good."<p>

_xx_

"Fire!" Cid shouted, blasting a dent into a horde of Guardians.

"Is everyone simply really accepting here," Terra asked, slicing Master Eraqus' Keyblade through some Soldiers. "Or is it just me?"

"Everyone's really accepting here," Cloud responded, taking out a Guardian with one blow.

"But I have to wonder if Yuffie's reaction is more real than everyone else's," Terra muttered. "What if everyone's secretly disgusted with me? Or at least wary."

"Yuffie's that way with everyone," Cloud said. "Don't feel special."

"Aw, but she listens teh you!" Cid grumbled, charging up the cannon again. "And she _loves _Aerith."

"Everyone loves Aerith," Cloud said.

Terra sighed and tried to focus on some Neoshadows that were coming up behind Cid.

"You were possessed, right?" Cloud asked.

Terra nodded, wondering why Cloud was stimulating the conversation. From what he knew of the man, he only spoke when spoken to, or when there was something really vital to be said.

Cloud nodded his head once in understanding. "So was I, and I almost killed Aerith because of it."

Terra didn't want to mention all the people he had killed or the deaths that he had ordered while being possessed by Xehanort. Besides, there was something about the way that Cloud said that—something about the potential murder of the sleight brunette who dressed all in pink.

Whose heart was filled with light. It would be like killing one of the Princesses of Heart.

Oh wait…

Well, he had only taken her heart. And according to Sora, she'd gotten it back…

"Does Aerith resent you?" he found himself asking.

Cloud shook his head. "And I'm nearly positive that your friends don't resent you."

"Ya know, when you bring up stuff like that, you put a damper on fightin'," Cid grumbled, firing the cannon.

Cloud didn't respond. Terra didn't have anything to say either.

The next sound that came out of any of their mouths was a strangled shout from Cid as a Phantomtail dove and attacked him. It went at Cid with its talons with a piercing cry.

"Cid!" Cloud shouted.

"Don' worry 'bout me!" Cid growled. "The cannon! Get Shera!"

If Cloud seemed surprised that Cid had named his cannon 'Shera', he didn't say. In one swift movement, his giant sword was in the holster on his back and he had both hands on the nearly-charged cannon.

Terra started at the Phantomtail, figuring that _someone _should help Cid out.

"Fire," Cloud said quietly.

The cannon went off, taking out several Neoshadows, even more Guardians and a second Phantomtail that had come their way.

Perhaps he was prompted by Cloud's quiet word, or perhaps it was just a hunch, but Terra blasted a Firaga at the Phantomtail. It disappeared.

Terra was more relieved that it hadn't been Dark Firaga than he was about the Heartless being gone. He offered his hand out for Cid to take and the older man allowed himself to be helped up. He stood mainly on his right leg though.

"Blasted thing, got meh leg."

Sure enough, there was a bloody gash running down Cid's leg.

Cloud turned around and handed him a bottle of Hi-Potion.

"Thanks."

He downed the bottle.

Terra had to appreciate the camaraderie between the two. Cloud and Cid obviously had a history, even if they'd spent the past several years fighting in different places. Yet they worked alongside each other as if they'd been doing this all their lives.

Terra wanted to have that—with Ven and Aqua.

xx

Rinoa, Aerith and Aqua worked well together. Aqua balanced out her Command Style, making Spellweaver last as long as she could possibly make it. Aerith was taking turns between sporadically curing the group and whacking Heartless with her staff. Rinoa was casting whatever spell she felt like it on whatever caught her eye.

Doom on a Phantomtail, because it wasn't dying fast enough.

Aero on that Guardian just to bother it.

Stop on that Neoshadow to prevent it from disappearing into the ground, allowing Aqua to kill it.

Blizzaga on that Soldier.

Protect on Cid while he drank that Hi-Potion.

"I would have gotten him," Aerith said.

Rinoa shrugged.

"Who says we beat these Heartless once and for all?" she asked.

"In one go?" Aerith asked. "But that's nearly impossible."

Rinoa raised an eyebrow and pointed to herself. Then she pointed to Aerith.

"You're not giving yourself enough credit. I know what you can do. I just want to be done with this battle. I would much rather be with Squall than fighting these things. And, from what I hear, you guys have had a long day."

"Those days happen," Aerith said with a shrug, bashing a Guardian with her staff a few times until it died.

Rinoa shrugged and sent a Thundaga at an emerging Neoshadow. "But, if you could be done for the day, wouldn't it be nice?"

Aerith smiled. "What are you suggesting?"

"Oh, just a lot of magic to kill these things off. I was thinking maybe some Holy and a Meteor. Granted, it'd work a lot better if they'd stop _moving."_

As she said the last word, she sent off her Blaster Edge at a Soldier.

"I can take care of that," Aerith said. "Easily."

"Sweet," Rinoa said. "All of them?"

Aerith took a moment to survey the scene. Then nodded.

"Anything I can help with?" Aqua asked, coming over. She caught her Keyblade as it spiraled back to her covered in light.

"What are your strengths?" Rinoa asked.

Aqua frowned, slightly taken aback by the question.

"Can you help us with a rather large magic attack to kill off all the Heartless in one go?" Rinoa asked instead.

"Perhaps," Aqua said, tossing her Keyblade at nearby Guardian to keep her Command Style going. "I could Ghost Drive. That'll allow me to move faster than the enemies and take them out."

"Excellent," Rinoa said. "How long can you keep them frozen?"

"A good couple of minutes."

"Even better! I think I'll start with Meltdown, just to severely mess up their vitality. Then I'll follow-up with a Meteor—since I'm apparently really good with that spell. Then perhaps a Holy. If you want to join me for that last one…"

"I can do that," Aerith replied with a nod.

"I might be able to help," Aqua said.

Rinoa nodded in satisfaction. "Good, then if we do that, the others might catch on to what we're up to and this battle will be over before we know it."

With that, she flew off into the air, heading for a rooftop to get a better vantage point of the battle.

"That was very Leon-y of her," Aerith mused.

"I wonder why," Aqua said, laughing a little.

Aerith smiled. However, she quickly frowned when a Neoshadow came up behind her and slashed at her leg.

"Naughty thing!" she exclaimed. She bashed it on the head with her staff. Then she started to focus on her Seal Evil Limit Break.

Almost as if she'd been waiting for the right moment to do so, Aqua cast a Thundaga and a Magnera in quick succession, allowing her to go into Ghost drive.

Rinoa landed daintily on the rooftop and took in the whole scope of the battle. She smiled to herself. This was going to be a piece of cake compared to all the other stuff she had done.

xx

Quistis saw Rinoa get up on the roof and knew exactly what was going on.

"Drat," Yuffie muttered. "Cid still has my Bahamut summon."

"Don't bother," Quistis said. "Rinoa's getting a Limit Break ready."

"Then what should _I _do?" Yuffie asked.

"Watch," Quistis said. "And help if you can."

Ven's Keyblade quivered idly in his hand. He wanted to watch the Sorceress in action.

Quistis wondered what spell would be the best in helping Rinoa out. Perhaps Death…

xx

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Zell said. "She's amazing when she does this."

"Watch it," Leon cautioned.

Zell suddenly took quite an interest in taking down two Guardians at once.

Tifa laughed and took the opportunity to Cure everyone. Aerith looked like she was prepping a Limit, and something told her it wasn't a healing one.

Leon focused on keeping himself busy until Rinoa's chain-casting took effect. It wasn't like he needed to get out of the way or anything, so he might as well help the cause.

xx

"Smells like magic," Cloud mused, looking up from a Phantomtail that he had just taken down.

"Magic has a smell?" Terra asked.

"Not a smell, exactly. But it certainly has a specific feel."

"I bet she's the cause of it," Cid said, gesturing to Rinoa, who was concentrating on something.

"Charge your cannon," Cloud said. "Get ready to fire."

xx

Aerith closed her eyes, focusing her magic. She drove her staff into the ground, sending out a shockwave of power. All the Heartless froze.

Aqua began darting among the Heartless, killing every one of them that she locked onto.

Rinoa took in a deep breath, then cast Meltdown. Many of the smaller Heartless didn't even survive the attack. Those who did were left with severely weakened defenses.

"Man am I glad she's on our side," Cid mused.

Rinoa took a moment to collect her power and cast a quick succession of Meteors. Simultaneously, Quistis let loose a LV? Death on the nearby Heartless. Cid's cannon completed its charge and he fired it off.

Aqua continued to zip around the Heartless near her, destroying everyone in her path.

Aerith watched the scene, monitoring her sealed evil. Tifa and Cloud stood by, waiting to see if they would need to help. Yuffie was trying to decide if there was anything for her to do. There wasn't really and this bothered her.

Ven watched Rinoa cast in awe and decided he liked how Sorceresses fought. Zell watched Rinoa and Aerith in a frozen stupor and Leon considered punching him. Terra watched the interactions between everyone, observing how things had changed in the past several years. He hadn't really paid attention to how people fought on the side of light—or rather, Xehanort hadn't paid attention to that, only enough to ensure that he'd win.

Leon just watched Rinoa for the sake of watching Rinoa.

After all the Meteors had settled down, Rinoa paused. There weren't a lot of Heartless left, but there were still a good number stumbling about.

"Holy," Rinoa whispered, letting loose the attack.

Aerith raised her staff. "Holy," she breathed.

Aqua let loose her finisher attack and stood back to watch Holy take effect.

"Faith," Ven said holding up his Keyblade.

Yuffie tossed her shuriken at a Phantomtail in an attempt to steal something from it before it died.

Quistis thought about adding a Holy of her own, but figured Aerith, Rinoa and Ven had it covered.

Tifa's eyes lit up at all the light around them. It was a wonderful sight.

Zell started dancing.

Leon casually threw up a Holy of his own.

"Should we help?" Cid asked, turning to Cloud.

"Do we need to?" Cloud asked in return.

The answer was no.

xx

By the time all the Holys had run their course, there remained only one Poison Plant. It was twitching. Zell moved to kick it down, but Leon beat him to it with his gunblade. Tifa laughed.

Rinoa smiled and flew down to Leon.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello."

"We've still got pie to finish, don't we?"

He put his gunblade away. "Yes, yes we do."

"How long have they been, like that?" Aqua asked Aerith.

"Longer than I care to count," Aerith replied with a smile.

In pairs, they made their way back into the house. Pie was resumed, then Aerith shooed everyone to bed. (After insisting on giving Aqua, Terra and Ven all a new change of clothes from various closets around the house.)

Yuffie was gathering blankets for a bed on the floor, Squall was saying goodnight to Rinoa. Cloud and Aerith were the only two down in the kitchen. Aerith because she was rinsing plates, Cloud because he was crashing on one of the couches.

"As full as this place is, we're still missing someone, aren't we?" he asked.

She sighed wistfully.

"I can get on my bike and go find him," he offered.

"No, you just got here. You followed your light and you came back here. I wouldn't want to be the one who sends you away again. He'll come. I know he will."

He patted her on the back. "Okay, if you're sure."

She nodded, finished with the plates and headed upstairs, almost running into Yuffie as she did so. Yuffie apologized and made her way to the corner that she had claimed.

On her way to her room, Aerith knocked on Squall's door. "Bedtime!" she said.

xx

Tifa was fluffing the pillow on Yuffie's bed when Aerith walked in.

"Thanks for making room," she said.

"It's not a problem," Aerith said. "Good night."

"Good night, Aerith."


	7. Riku in My Memories

**Author's Note: **Does this scene even need an introduction? Probably not. Well, actually, it does. In the timeline that I have all figured out, this scene actually takes place AFTER my epilogue, but I'm still posting it here because it makes the most sense. This is the last little scene for you here. I just wrote a scene for Can't Escape that'll get posted after rarmaster gets done with Olympus Coliseum which she just started. Now, to work on the sequel. It would be awesome to get it done before Nanowrimo, but that's like... asking for a miracle. So, we'll see what nanowrimo brings.

And now my introduction has turned into a ramble. Awesome. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"I'm not five, Mom."<p>

xx

"Okay, before you freak out," Riku said, pausing outside his front gate. "My mom already knows about Castle Oblivion."

Namine looked at him, her eyes going wide. There were several instances in Castle Oblivion that he could have been talking about, but she knew which one he was referring to.

"She knows about the memories?"

"She knows about everything. As I told Xion, my conscience wouldn't let me do otherwise."

"But she knows about the memories…"

"Well, just Sora and my replica. I didn't tell her about the other part yet. However, I wouldn't worry too much. She's pretty accepting."

Namine took a moment to think this over.

"She knows, _everything_?"

Riku nodded.

"She _is _accepting."

He nodded. "Shall we go in, then?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Do you think she'll like me?"

He put an arm around her.

"I know she will."

The two of them walked up to the door and Riku led her inside.

"Goodness!" Riku's mother said, peeking her head out from the kitchen. "I thought you weren't going to make it back for dinner!"

"Relax," Riku said. "I wouldn't pass this opportunity up. Mother, this is Namine, Namine, this is my mother."

Namine smiled and waved slightly. Riku's mother nodded her head in Namine's direction and waved a bit as well.

"It's good to finally meet you," Riku's mother said. "Riku has spoken highly of you."

Namine smiled.

Riku's mother turned to her son.

"We're not just excluding Xion, are we?" she asked.

"Oh, she went to Twilight Town with Axel and Roxas to get a few things of Axel's," Namine responded before Riku could even open his mouth.

Riku's mother laughed. "Okay then. Well, dinner will be ready soon. I hope you like chicken?"

"Chicken sounds wonderful," Namine replied.

Riku's mother smiled and went back to the kitchen.

"Do you want some help?" Riku asked.

"Nonsense. I've been cooking by myself for who knows how long. I think I can handle this. You and Namine just make yourself comfortable at the table."

"If you're sure…"

"Of course I'm sure!"

Riku went over and pulled out a chair for Namine. She took it and he pushed her in, then took the seat right next to her.

"So, catch me up, how are you separate from Kairi?" Riku's mother asked from the kitchen.

"Oh, there was this Program at Castle Oblivion that separates the Nobody and the Somebody if there are two consciousnesses to be separated," Namine replied.

"All right then. Makes sense, I suppose. Can you wield a Keyblade?"

Namine shook her head. "I'm strictly a memory…"

She frowned, trying to come up with the right word. Her fingers began absentmindedly drawing on the wood of the table.

"I have power over everyone's memories," she said quietly.

"Everyone's now?" Riku's mother's voice was not condescending, only curious.

Namine nodded. "It seemed appropriate."

"It's quite effective against most enemies," Riku said. "She cleared half a room of Heartless so Kairi could get to Sora."

"Yes, and then I fell over," Namine argued.

"But I caught you," Riku argued.

Riku's mother stifled a laugh.

"Okay, where did you leave off this morning?" she asked. "You were talking about a boy from another universe…"

"Joseph?" Riku asked. "I was past him…"

"Wait a second," Namine said, still sketching with her fingers. "How were you talking to her this morning? You were over at the other island before anyone else! It was barely even light!"

Riku's mother laughed. "We're both early risers."

She came over to the table and placed a notepad and a pen in front of Namine.

"Where's your sketchbook, sweetie?"

"It's full."

"I'm getting her another one tomorrow, promise!" Riku said.

"The way you say that makes it sound like it's your fault it's full," Riku's mother said.

Riku rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I was past talking about Joseph. I'd talked about Hawaii, hadn't I?"

"Oh yes, I remember."

Namine snorted.

"What?" Riku asked.

"I slept through Hawaii."

"Really, now?"

She nodded. "I was busy processing what Joseph had said."

Though Joseph had said a lot of things, Riku knew which thing in particular she was referring to.

"Ah," he said, flushing red.

"Halloween Town was next," Namine said. "We ran into Donald and Goofy, and then Axel left to go fight Saix."

"That's right," Riku said. "Do you want to tell it?"

"No, that's fine, you go ahead. Though, I can tell Hollow Bastion if you want me to."

"All right," Riku said. "So after Axel left to go fight Saix again…"

xx

After Riku was done explaining Axel's rather epic defeat of the second-to-last Xehanort Replica, Namine finished the first drawing.

"I did _not _want to know that," she muttered.

"Know what?" Riku asked.

She tilted the notepad to him.

"Well, I now know how Axel got himself that badly injured," she said.

He winced. "Ouch."

"Ouch is right," she said, turning the page. "Time for something happier."

"Hollow Bastion?" he prodded.

"Oh, right!"

She was still absentmindedly sketching as she continued the story.

"Hollow Bastion is when I finally told Kairi about the events that happened in Castle Oblivion."

"Forgive me," Riku's mother interrupted. "But wouldn't she already know since you shared a heart and mind?"

"Not necessarily," Namine said. "Because our consciousnesses were different, we were able to keep many of our thoughts to ourselves."

"Ah, continue."

xx

Dinner was nearly over by the time Riku and Namine finished recounting all the things that had happened on their adventure. Namine had only drawn one other picture and the pad and pen had been put aside.

"So," Riku's mother said. "Where does that leave you now?"

"Maintaining the balance of light and darkness still," Riku replied. "But hopefully we'll be able to use Destiny Islands as a base, like I was talking about last night. We're going to try."

Riku's mother smiled. "You don't know just how wonderful that is to hear. I might get to see my son around as he still has a few years of growing up to do. And I'll get to embarrass him in front of his girlfriend!"

"Mom, please don't!" Riku begged.

Namine flushed bright red for him and looked down at her plate with a smile.

"I won't," Riku's mother said. "At least, not tonight."

He groaned.

She reached over under the table and patted his leg.

"It'll be okay," she murmured.

He sighed.

"The food was very good, Ma'am," Namine said, putting her fork down.

"Call me Clare," Riku's mother said, smiling.

Namine smiled and nodded.

Riku got up and collected everyone's plates.

"Thank you, Riku," his mother said.

"No problem."

"I'm glad you brought Namine by for dinner."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not keeping any part of my life from you anymore."

A small tear fell down his mother's cheek.

Namine reached for the pad and pen again.

"You're always drawing, aren't you?" Riku's mother asked.

Namine nodded. "I've always done this, ever since I was born. Mostly, I draw just for fun. Sometimes, I draw when I'm dealing with memories."

"You always draw when you deal with memories," Riku interjected, coming back to the table to grab the last few dishes that had made it to the table in the first place.

She shrugged. "Well, there was that one time that I was just moving them from one conscience to the other—when we were separating Sora and Roxas."

"Yes, but you still drew."

"I suppose so."

"Is that, Riku?" Riku's mother asked, looking over at the picture that Namine was drawing.

Namine nodded. "I'm not sure how old he is here, but it's certainly younger than I've ever seen him."

"He would have been just a boy there," Riku's mother said.

"Hmm?" Riku wondered, coming over to look at what Namine was drawing also. "Ah!"

He smiled.

Namine put down the pen and looked over at Riku's mother.

"Do you want to keep the picture?"

The older woman looked at the relatively neatly drawn picture of herself and her son. He looked to be seven or eight and he had his arms around her neck. She was stooped down on the ground to embrace him.

"I would love to."

Namine very carefully separated the picture from the rest of them and handed it to Riku's mother.

"Thank you."

"Sure!"

Riku squeezed Namine's shoulder.

"Yes?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"It's getting late," Riku's mother said, looking at the clock. "Shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Oh, should I?" Namine asked. "I don't really have a concept of time…"

"You'll get one," Riku assured her. "Well, you'll get an odd one. It depends on how much travelling you do."

"I'll be travelling with you," Namine said. "So, however much travelling that entails."

He shrugged. "Not sure yet. But, I should walk you home."

She nodded and tore the other two pictures out of the pad.

"Come back anytime," Riku's mother said. "And by that I mean often."

Namine grinned. "Okay!"

Riku's mother returned the grin. "Don't dawdle!" she cautioned her son.

"I'm not five, Mom."

With that, he and Namine made their way out of the house. Riku's mother got up from the table and went to hang Namine's picture on the refrigerator. Where it would stay until she thought of a better place to put it. Though, the fridge wasn't a half-bad place.

xx

"Are you going to color those?" Riku asked, gesturing to the two pictures clutched in Namine's hands.

"I don't particularly want to color this one," she said, grimacing at the one of Saix and Axel. "And I'm not sure where to put the silver and the yellow on this one, so it may just stay uncolored as well."

The second picture was a profile view of two women. One was Namine, the other one was Riku's mother. Each of them was waving at the other with a small, shy wave.

"How can you not know where the colors go?" Riku asked.

"I'm not sure myself, but I can't get a clear image of it in my head. So, I'll leave it until I do."

"Okay then. Well, I'm glad I brought you over for dinner. You and my mom seemed to get along alright."

"I like your mom," Namine said. "She's really accepting, and nice. And she's a great cook. Not that Kairi's mom isn't… but, still, I like your mom."

He smiled and put an arm around her. "I'm glad."


End file.
